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Interactive Week ( Monday October 11 1999 ) Surely, Microsoft isn't quaking in its shoes over these guys yet. by Todd Spangler Surely, Microsoft isn't quaking in its shoes over these guys yet. But myWebOS.com, a 10-person start-up that plans to launch its virtual desktop site next week, exemplifies a recent trend of sophisticated, Web-based services that emulate Microsoft's Windows. The founders of myWebOS.com expect it to be nothing less than Windows for the Web - providing an environment for all the features and applications that Windows provides on PCs. "The Internet is the ultimate operating system," said Shervin Pishevar, chief executive of myWebOS.com. MyWebOS.com is very similar to the recently launched Desktop.com. Like Desktop.com, myWebOS.com uses Dynamic HyperText Markup Language and client-side caching techniques to make a browser behave like a Windows desktop, with drop-down menus, resizable windows and so on. Furthermore, myWebOS.com hopes to attract developers to its desktop environment. That's also Desktop.com's strategy. The business models between the two "virtual desktop" services are also different: MyWebOS.com will not advertise on its site, generating revenue from renting applications and sharing a cut with the developers. Desktop.com is lining up sponsors and advertisers for its desktop apps. MyWebOS.com will launch with a suite of Web-based productivity applications, called HyperOffice, which will be compatible with Microsoft Office file formats, according to the company. The advantages over the PC version: It's free, and it's available from any Net connection. The larger technology companies are paying attention to the virtual desktop idea. Sun Microsystems, which recently bought Star Division, plans to launch a Web-based version of the StarOffice desktop productivity suite, called StarPortal, next year. Microsoft, similarly, has made its Office 2000 more Web-friendly and is reportedly formulating a Web hosting strategy for Windows apps. |
